Series Review: Sycamore Hill series (Books 1-4) by Stacey Weeks

I’m delighted today to share my reviews with for the first four books in the Sycamore Hill series by Stacey Weeks! Actually, I’ve already reviewed book one but it’s been a while so I thought I’d post a snippet of it here, too, just so we’re all caught up 🙂 There’s a prequel novella that you might want to read to orient yourself to all the different couples and the pivotal events that have them in Sycamore Hill – I haven’t read it yet and felt like I was missing some plot points at times but nothing that kept me from enjoying the stories as standalones. And if these books sound like your cup of tea, you can preorder A Sycamore Secret now so you’re ready when it releases in June!

THE SYCAMORE STANDOFF by Stacey Weeks
SERIES: Sycamore Hill #1
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Grace and Love Publishing
RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2022
PAGES: 198

A man with a plan, a woman with a past, and a thorny adventure called love.

Hope is in full bloom in the small town of Sycamore Hill until a bad seed from Landscape Architect Meg Gilmore’s past surfaces. But there is more than one snake in Meg’s garden. A formidable adversary threatens a 250-year-old historic tree, and the powerful family of Eli Martin—a friend she thought she could count on—supports her opposition.

Eli’s family is as established as Meg’s landmark tree. His botched attempts to help Meg—the first woman not dazzled by his wealth—puts his business and family relationships at risk. Meg grows more hesitant than ever to trust him. Will the ill-fated couple ever get out of the weeds and let love bloom?

Small-town charm, a faith-filled community, and a sweet, swoony romance make The Sycamore Standoff perfect for readers who enjoy stories of survival, community, and seeds of friendship which grow the sweetest love.

*The Sycamore Standoff received an updated cover in 2023.

Bottom Line: The Sycamore Standoff is a sweet & swoony romance (I loved Eli, too, even though I haven’t talked about him in the review), but it’s so much more than that. It’s a story of survival, of leaning into Godly friends, of taking power back from the voices who hold you captive and putting it in the hands of the One who made you & loves you & is for you. I can’t wait for more visits to Sycamore Hill, to catch up with Meg & Eli and see where Weeks takes the other characters too. (Read my full review HERE)

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / loved it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / may forget to breathe on occasion

affiliate links used

Also available to read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

HIS SYCAMORE SWEETHEART by Stacey Weeks
SERIES: Sycamore Hill #2
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Grace and Love Publishing
RELEASE DATE: September 21, 2022
PAGES: 206

She wants acceptance. He wants approval. They get a catastrophic wardrobe malfunction, confusion, and a disastrous church scandal.

Gloria Sycamore isn’t looking for a hero’s welcome, but she does expect a friendly one when she returns to Sycamore Hill. After all, she is a Sycamore, and she’s dating the local minister. But the community questions her commitment to her faith, the town, and their pastor—who they are not keen on sharing. Gloria sets out to prove herself worthy, navigating the messy (and sometimes hilarious) muddy water of dating in the public eye, where nothing is private, and everything is up for debate.

Pastor Owen Mason loves his church, but his parishioners weigh in on everything. When push comes to shove, Owen discovers he can’t please everyone. Will he be forced to choose between his congregation and his heart?

Small-town charm, laugh-out-loud moments, and a captivating love story guarantee His Sycamore Sweetheart will make you cheer for Gloria and Owen as they fumble their way to true love.

*His Sycamore Sweetheart received an updated cover in 2023.

Oh my goodness, I wasn’t sure that Gloria & Owen were going to overcome the obstacles between them and a happily-ever-after in this story. At first glance, those obstacles are church people – and ugh Gloria had my utmost sympathy as she dealt with their judgmental & snide comments when she was just trying her best to fit in. Unfairly branded as an immoral woman, certainly not qualified to be the romantic interest for their “beloved” Pastor Owen (to whom they were just as difficult & judgmental lol), she definitely had her work cut out for her.

But what I love about His Sycamore Sweetheart – and the direction Weeks took this story – is that the church people themselves weren’t really the obstacles. No spoilers here, but I will say that Weeks went straight to the heart of these characters from Owen & Gloria individually to the congregation of Owen’s church. And in them … even (especially?) the characters who most made me clench my teeth… I saw myself and the areas of my heart that need God’s grace and renovation.

It’s not all tension and conviction though (aren’t you glad? lol). There’s also plenty of humor and a very sweet & sparks-filled romance. Owen and Gloria have an uphill battle, yes, but this only makes the end result that much more passionate and enduring. They were already dating when the story begins, so you’re not rooting for them to become a couple … but you’re absolutely rooting for them to realize they’re in love for the long haul and stay a couple. I loved this unique spin on their relationship and, as I’ve mentioned, the humor and heart with which the author has written them.

Owen practically amened before he remembered he was eavesdropping.

Bottom Line: His Sycamore Sweetheart is a love story between a man and a woman who have let the pressures of life, small-town gossip, and church hurt steal their focus. One is desperate for acceptance. One is desperate for approval. But it’s also a love story between Jesus and a church who has taken her eyes off Him… and for every single one of us who has done the same. This is Stacey Weeks’ gift – weaving sweet romance with gospel-centered themes without becoming preachy or slowing down the story. The wit and warmth present on every page, as well as the chemistry-infused romance between Owen & Gloria, keep the mood light in spite of all the tension, and I think you’ll find it just as cute as I did.

(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read via Kindle Unlimited. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / loved it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / may forget to breathe on occasion

affiliate links used

Also available to read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

THE SYCAMORE SLOPES by Stacey Weeks
SERIES: Sycamore Hill #3
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Grace and Love Publishing
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2022
PAGES: 194

When the woman he hoped might mother his children destroys a family, the battle lines are drawn, and the fight to control Sycamore Hill heats up.

Ben Sawyer gives the vulnerable a voice and strives to protect them, but he can’t stop the avalanche of trouble descending on his nephew. His strongest opponent isn’t the grumpy Grinch stirring up the community, but the one person he believed would always side with him: Nurse Practitioner Emma Powles.

Emma Powles is busy in her newly established medical clinic as the fallout from sledding and skating accidents fills Emma’s clinic. When she treats the suspicious injuries of a local child, she’s forced to intervene for the girl’s safety. Her actions rouse traumatic memories in Ben; will their relationship survive?

The Sycamore Slopes is a compelling romance with a dash of family drama, small-town politics, and powerful themes of overcoming.

*The Sycamore Slopes received an updated cover in 2023.

Once again, Stacey Weeks has written a charming love story with poignant insight into the human heart. Ben and Emma are another fledgling couple in Sycamore Hill (brought together like Owen & Gloria by the events in that prequel novella I mentioned in the post intro) whose relationship takes a turn toward shaky ground as deep-buried insecurities come to the surface.

I loved Emma’s character – a compassionate nurse practitioner who has her patient’s best interests at heart and the strength to do the right thing. And if Ben would just lean in to what he loves about her, he wouldn’t have suffered nearly as much in The Sycamore Slopes. But isn’t that just like us with Jesus? We let our past – and the anxieties and insecurities that come along with it as a package deal – convince us to believe the worst of God and His plan for our lives. But if we would just lean in to what we know & love about Jesus, we would understand that He is always good and He is always for our good… and we could save ourselves some heartache along the way.

But I digress from the romance… Like Owen & Gloria in His Sycamore Sweetheart, Ben and Emma are already dating but they don’t seem to have let each other know how serious they are about one another. Which of course breeds more insecurity, and the cycle continues. It’s not hard to root for them, however. Both are great characters that you’d want to hang out with in real life, and together they make a winsome couple who will come out of these trials all the stronger.

Bottom Line: The Sycamore Slopes by Stacey Weeks is a sweet romance between two relatable characters who have authentic layers and genuinely likable personalities. I really appreciated the journey that Weeks takes Ben & Emma on during this story, the parallels I could see in my own life, and the grace-filled way she handled the sensitive topics that came up. As with the other books in this series, the supporting characters who live in Sycamore Hill are also compelling and add further dimension to the plot. Including two characters whose story I’m most excited for – and it’s coming up next!

(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read via Kindle Unlimited. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / loved it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / may forget to breathe on occasion

affiliate links used

Also available to read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

ONE SYCAMORE SUNDAY by Stacey Weeks
SERIES: Sycamore Hill #4
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Grace and Love Publishing
RELEASE DATE: February 1, 2023
PAGES: 184

It starts as a normal Sunday, but one horrifying moment changes everything forever.

When a group of men abduct her son, Kim Jansen turns to the only person she can trust—Jackson McGregor. Officer McGregor would trade his life for the boy, but it’s not McGregor the kidnappers want. They want a woman Kim helped disappear, and they’ve taken Kim’s son as leverage. As McGregor races to save the boy, Kim faces an impossible choice—protect her friend or save her child.

One Sycamore Sunday is a high-stakes, fast-paced, police procedural romance.

*One Sycamore Sunday received an updated cover in 2023.

Whew – Hang on to your hats when you settle in to read One Sycamore Sunday by Stacey Weeks! While the other books in the series have been strictly romance, this one dives into the romantic suspense pool and I loved it!

I’ve been waiting for Kim and Jackson to admit they’re in love with one another from the beginning, so to say that I was excited about One Sycamore Sunday being their story would be an understatement. I’m here for the suppressed romantic tension and the underlying simmer between them, and Weeks delivered that for me in spades. I also enjoyed getting to know them as main characters, instead of the supporting players they’ve been throughout the previous books, and digging into their layers as Weeks revealed them.

The suspense angle to the book had my heart in my throat from beginning to end – I can’t imagine there’s anything more terrifying as a parent than not knowing where your child is, and the author captures this tension well. At the same time, Kim is smart and savvy and holds her own against the dramatic events, better than Jackson in some ways. Watching them support each other was both sweet and swoony, and the build-up toward a possible declaration of their mutual feelings gave the story its soundtrack, so to speak. And oh my goodness, a surprising twist at the end had my heart all twisted up for totally different reasons.

Bottom Line: One Sycamore Sunday is the most riveting book in the Sycamore Hill series thus far. Suspense and romance share the page, keeping the emotional tension high throughout and culminating in an act of sacrificial love that will have you reaching for your tissues. And tucked in between the lines is a gentle theme of trusting God with what you don’t understand, when all we can pray is “Please, Jesus.” It’s a moving novel with layered characters you’ll love and a plot you can’t put down!

(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read via Kindle Unlimited. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4.5 stars / loved it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / may forget to breathe on occasion

affiliate links used

Also available to read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

What about you? What makes you want to read the Sycamore Hill series by Stacey Weeks?